Maybe you’re like me, and up to this point, angel food cake is something you could easily pass up.
Originally Published 07/21/2021
Like, “Mmmm, no thanks! It’s dry, funny textured, pretty tasteless – oh, and did I mention dry?”
And that’s probably because you’ve never had homemade angel food cake, let alone coconut angel food cake with blueberry curd!
I’m not kidding; it’s a game-changer, and this homemade stuff is excellent! It has spectacular flavor! It’s light and fluffy, with no weird texture like eating a kitchen sponge. And it is NOT dry!
If you’re ready to delight your tastebuds, try this recipe! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
The base for Coconut Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Curd is, of course, meringue!
Don’t let that ( or the fact that it takes a dozen egg whites to make this cake) scare you away! I promise it’s not too difficult. ☺️
So first, situate the oven rack. The cake will bake onto the lower third of the oven, and preheat it to 375.
Mix 1 cup of cake flour and 3/4 cup of sugar. Generally, I would say using all-purpose flour will be fine! But for this Coconut Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Curd, you must use cake flour!
The reasons are that cake flour is finer and has a lower protein content. Protein in flour helps create gluten, which is amazing if you want a chewy slice of artisanal bread. But angel food cake is perhaps artisanal bread, the complete opposite in every way! 😂
We are shooting for a light, airy, delicate cake, which cake flour will help us achieve! If you want to know more about the awesome sciencey/nerdy stuff, check out this article from Southern Living.
Otherwise, we’re off to crack a few eggs!
Start with 12 egg whites and a tbsp of lemon juice.
Get those frothing around in the mixer, and then add in the tsp of cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and, of course, 1/8 tsp of coconut extract! (Make sure to set aside 3 egg yolks for the curd!)
Whip these ingredients until soft meringue forms, then add the sugar a little at a time. You don’t want to add too much at once, or the heaviness/sharpness of the sugar could deflate the meringue.
Keep whipping the egg whites on high as you add in the sugar. Once it’s all in, continue whisking until stiff, shiny meringue peaks form. When you lift your whisk from the mixer, the meringue should stand straight off it!
Next, you will use a flour sifter or mesh sieve to sift the cake flour and sugar from earlier into the meringue. Do this in three separate parts, gently folding everything between additions.
The name of the game is to make sure all the dry parts are well combined without knocking all of the air out of the meringue. Don’t over-mix!
Once the batter is ready, gently scoop it into your ungreased angel food cake pan. Place it in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes at 375!
This Coconut Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Curd is usually baked in a specific pan.
The pan is not non-stick and has legs. The pan is not greased before the batter goes in and does not have a non-stick coating, so the sponge can climb and stick to the sides of the pan while it’s baking to help rise itself. The legs are so you can invert the pan when it’s finished baking so the sponge doesn’t collapse as it cools!
Side note, or side story: One remarkable thing about Tennesee is the antique shops! And I have a few favorite spots to walk around and look for treasures!
I knew it was a sign I had to make my angel food cake when all in one day, I watched Mary Berry bake an angel food cake on Great British Bake Off Masterclass and then found a perfectly good angel food cake pan while rummaging around an antique store!
The story’s moral is to keep your eye out for used baking pans and watch Mary Berry make angel food cake!
Or buy a pan like this off Amazon lol.
While the cake is baking it’s time to make the Blueberry Curd!
It’s super easy! Start by pouring a cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of lemon juice into a saucepan. Place it over medium-high heat and bring to a boil – then keep boiling for two minutes.
After this, pour the blueberry sauce through a strainer to remove the leftover skin, rinse the saucepan, and then add the silky smooth blueberry sauce back to the pan!
Throw in the three egg yolks you saved from earlier, one at a time, whisking them in as you go. Then follow with the 3 tbsp of salted butter.
Return the pan to the stove to finish melting the butter. Cook over medium-high heat while continuously stirring until the Blueberry Curd thickens.
Finally, transfer it to a heat-proof bowl to start cooling. Cover it with plastic wrap, which touches the surface of the curd so it doesn’t form a skin, and set it to the side for later!
The last step in making this coconut angel food cake with blueberry curd is to make the vanilla whipped frosting.
I like this frosting because it’s not too heavy or too sweet! It’s the perfect summertime frosting, just light, cold and delicious!
Super simple – pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into the mixing bowl and add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of powdered sugar. Whisk these all together until they form stiff peaks. That is it! You’ve got frosting to frost your cake with!
You can make this frosting and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready, or make it towards the end of the cake cooling and use it immediately! Ok, so back to the cake!
Once the Coconut Angel Food Cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and immediately flip it upside down to cool. Let it sit like that for a solid hour! This will keep it from collapsing.
When it’s finished cooling in the pan, flip it back over, take a knife, and gently run it along the sides and the center to release the cake. As for the top… well, it’s hard to unstick unless you bought a pan that’s top comes off too. Try to get in there with a spatula and gently wiggle it free. I turned it upside down again and gave the pan a couple of whacks on top, and it eventually plopped out! 😂
I also read a trick after the fact that you can place a circle of tin foil at the bottom of the pan to help release the top more easily. 🤔
In any case, be patient, go easy, it will come out eventually!
Finally, once the cake is successfully out of the pan and cool, you can frost it!
I decided to top mine off with fresh blueberries, blackberries, and some little flowers. You can drizzle the blueberry curd, scoop it on top, or do whatever you’d like!
The blueberry curd is legit, so I promise you’ll want more when you eat the cake!
This honestly might be my new favorite cake. If you give this recipe a shot, let me know how it goes and if you like it too!?
I hope you enjoy this Coconut Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Curd & thanks for reading! ❤️❤️❤️
Coconut Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Curd
Equipment
- Kitchenaid Mixer with Whisk Attachment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rubber Spatula
- 10″ Angel Food Cake Pan
- Medium sauce pan
- Hand-Held Whisk
- Medium Bowl
- Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
Coconut Angel Food Cake
- 1 Cup Cake Flour 120 g
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar 150 g
- 12 Egg Whites room temperature
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 tsp Coconut Extract
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar 150 g
Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Chips for topping
Blueberry Curd
- 1 Cup Blueberries
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 4 tbsp Salted Butter
Instructions
Coconut Angel Food Cake
- Start by moving your oven rack to the lower third part of your oven and preheat it to 375 degrees. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of cake flour and 3/4 cup of sugar and set to the side.
- In the mixing bowl, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 12 egg whites. Start mixing at low speed until the egg whites start to turn foamy. Then add 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of vanilla, and 1/8 tsp of coconut extract. Turn your mixer up to medium-high speed and continue whipping until soft peaks form. (Save 3 egg yolks for the curd.)
- While the mixer is still going, add the 3/4 cup sugar a tbsp at a time. Turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until a stiff, shiny meringue forms. Do not overwhip, once the egg whites hold a peak stop mixing or your cake will sink in the oven while baking.
- Take the mixing bowl off the stand and sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the top of the meringue. Use a large rubber spatula to gently fold in the flour. Repeat two more times until all the flour is incorporated. Carefully scoop the batter into the ungreased 10″ angel food cake pan and delicately even out.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. The cake is finished when it's golden brown and springs back when you lightly poke it. Once it's finished baking, immediately turn the pan upside down and let it cool like that on the cooling rack for at least 1 hour. Once the hour is up, use a knife to carefully separate the sides and middle from the pan. Flip the pan upside down again and tap on the top to get the cake to release. Once it's out of the pan finish cooling completely on the cooling rack before frosting.
Blueberry Curd
- While the angel food cake is baking it's time to make the blueberry curd. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1 cup of fresh blueberries, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Continuously stir with a whisk breaking down the blueberries and bring to a boil. Keep at a boil for 2 minutes.
- After this, remove the pan from the heat and pour the blueberries through a mesh sieve into a separate heat-proof bowl. Strain out all the liquid and discard the leftover skins. Rinse out the saucepan and add the blueberry juice back into it. Also, add the 3 egg yolks one at a time stirring them in as you go.
- Return the saucepan to the stove over medium-high heat and add 4 tbsp of butter cut into tbsp chunks. Continue whisking as the butter melts. Once the butter has melted in, keep stirring until the curd begins to thicken. After this remove the pan from the heat and pour the curd into a heat-proof bowl. Cover the top of the curd with plastic wrap that is touching it to keep the skin from forming and set it to the side to cool.
Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting
- Once the angel food cake is cool, whip up the frosting! Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 tsp of vanilla, and 2 tbsp of powdered sugar to your Kitchenaid mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk at high speed until stiff peaks form. This should only take about 2 minutes.
- Place the Coconut Angel Food Cake on a serving tray or cake stand and frost! Top with unsweetened coconut chips, fresh blueberries, and drizzle with blueberry curd! Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
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